A/N: Reviews are lovely, and so are you! Enjoy!
The next morning she woke up yet again to an empty room. It occurred to Galinda that she had never seen her roommate asleep. She was always reading long after the blonde went to bed, and she was gone before she was up in the morning.
Not that it matters, Galinda grinned, No amount of beauty sleep could make up for that disaster.
She walked around the room carefully, inspecting every little detail of her belongings. But nothing was amiss. Her desk was as tidy as ever. Her clothes and shoes were untouched. In the bathroom, her endless assortment of beauty treatments were lined up neatly, just the way she had left them the night before. Galinda let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. True to the green girl's word, the destruction of her property was only a warning. No other damage had been done.
An hour later, just as she was slipping into her shoes, there was a light knock on her door. She squealed with delight as she opened it to find her friends.
"I was just about to come down for breakfast. What are you all doing here?" she asked, letting them into the room.
"We wanted to see what horrors the monster has unleashed this morning," Pfannee said, crossing her arms as she inspected the room. "Oz, her things are hideous!"
"Well? What did she do?" Milla asked, bouncing on the balls of her feet.
"Surprisingly, nothing," Galinda answered, looking around herself. "In fact, all of my ruined things were fixed when I got back last night."
The three girls gaped at her. Galinda thought quickly. She didn't want to admit that Elphaba had fixed her things. It just wouldn't do for anyone to think the green girl might have a heart. The blonde shrugged. "I…I guess the glue wasn't permanent. Her book was fine, too. She never noticed it."
When she was younger, Galinda had fallen into a terrible lying habit. She twisted her stories around to make herself look better. The little blonde had loved having control over something. But her Ama Clutch—the gentle old woman who raised her while her parents were always busy being Lord and Lady Upland—had quickly caught on. Instead of scolding the child, she began twisting things around before Galinda had a chance. It wasn't long before the frustrated blonde stopped her lying, and her Ama told her to never fall into that habit again.
But her Ama wasn't here at Shiz. She had never met Elphaba, she didn't know what a horror the vegetable was. Surely this wasn't the same. Either way, whatever guilt Galinda felt vanished as her friends nodded, accepting her story.
"It's a shame about her book, though," Shenshen said, scowling at the green girl's desk.
"Indeed," Pfannee said. "We'll have to think of something else to get back at her."
Galinda wrung her hands, remembering her roommate's words from the night before. "I don't know. Last night she…she said this was a warning, and that she'd do much worse if we didn't leave her alone."
"She threatened you?" Milla gasped.
"All the more reason to get back at her," Shenshen said. "Besides, what can she do? We have all of Shiz on our side."
"That doesn't stop what happens to my stuff," Galinda mumbled.
"Perhaps." Pfannee's face was dark. "But if peer pressure can't get to her…then I'm sure Morrible can."
All four girls shuddered at the thought of their headmistress. Galinda wouldn't wish the wrath of Madame Morrible on anyone. Well, maybe just one person…
"You're right," the blonde smiled. "Now, let's go down to breakfast. We can't plan brilliant revenges on empty stomachs, now can we?"
The friends were still deep in discussion as they walked to their first class that morning. Galinda wasn't quite over the fright of last night. She could still feel those fierce brown eyes digging into her. She thought of her roommate towering over her and forced herself to hold back a shudder. But the other girls were right. What could the green freak do? Once again, popularity proved to have the upper hand.
Besides, she couldn't turn back now. Any decent plan of revenge obviously had to involve her. She was the person on the inside, the informant without whom all would surely fail. She supposed that meant she would have to talk to her roommate again. But it would all be worth it to see the monster suffer.
"We have to be careful, though," Milla said. She cast a sideways glance at Galinda. "Knowing her, she'd do something just terrible to get back at us."
"So we have to do something so small that she won't bother?" Shenshen asked.
"Or something so big that she'd be afraid to," Pfannee said, her eyes narrowing.
"I don't know," Galinda mused, "I'm not sure she even knows what fear is."
"Don't be ridiculous," Pfannee said smoothly. "Everyone is afraid of something. We just have to find out what it is."
"Oh! Oh!" Milla jumped up and down. "Spiders? Every girl in their right mind fears spiders!"
Galinda shook her head. "She's green, remember? I highly doubt normal fears are going to work on her."
"No," Shenshen agreed, "But what if—"
She clamped her mouth shut as they walked into the building. The classroom wasn't exactly full, but one occupant immediately captured their attention.
"Oh, no," Galinda whispered. The moment she'd been dreading had finally arrived. Her roommate—complete with nauseating skin, appalling navy frock, and a book to bury her nose in—was sitting in a corner near the front of the room.
"Not another class with the green bean!" Milla groaned, collapsing into one of the chair in the middle of the room. If Elphaba heard, she gave no sign.
The girls sat at the table with Milla, shooting venomous glances at the front corner of the room.
"Look at her!" Galinda said under her breath. "Class hasn't even started yet and she's already reading and taking notes."
"Oh, she's like that." Shenshen nodded. "You'll see."
Galinda just shook her head, baffled. Pfannee shrugged. "She fancies herself to be quite intelligent. Maybe she is. I suppose everyone has something they're good at."
"For her, it's being an insufferable know-it-all," Milla giggled.
"Better a know-it-all than an airhead, Miss Milla."
The four girls whipped around to glare at the green girl, but the looks were lost. She hadn't even glanced up from her book. She didn't even smile as she went on, "Besides, the majority of the population is more intelligent than the four of you. It doesn't make us know-it-alls."
Milla cried out, moving to stand up out of her chair, but she was cut off by a gruff voice coming from just outside the doorway.
"Good morning, class."
Galinda grabbed her friend's arm and shook her head. "Not now," she mouthed. Milla sank back in her chair, glowering at the green girl. But her rage was brief, for it was that moment when their teacher entered the room.
"Welcome to your first semester of Ozian history. My name is Dr. Dillamond."
Several students gasped as they caught sight of the professor. Those sitting further back half rose from their seats to see him, for his shoulders stood only just above the tables. He was completely covered with cream-colored fur, save for a patch of brown on his back. His hooves—yes, hooves—clopped against the stone floor as he walked to the front of the room. From there, the entire class could see him clearly, from his thick, gray spiraled horns to his short tail. A few of the more proper girls, Galinda and company included, cringed at the sight. Multiple boys pushed their chairs back slightly. A tense silence hung in the air as the students realized their professor was a…
"A Goat?" Shenshen breathed. Galinda could only stare, her mouth hanging open. Her fingers gripped the edge of her table tightly. No no no! She did not work her butt off to be taught by an Animal.
"There must be some mistake," Pfannee said, her voice higher than usual. "You can't be our professor. You're a—"
"A living being, just like the rest of us," Elphaba said sharply. She turned in her chair to face Pfannee. Even though she was across the classroom, Galinda flinched. There was that look again. The green girl's eyes, usually so flat and guarded, were practically blazing. Her brow furrowed as she scanned the room, as if daring someone else to say something. When no one did, she turned back around to face the Goat.
Dr. Dillamond cleared his throat. "It is only expected for some of you to be startled by my appearance. After all, we Animals are appearing less and less in typical Ozian society." Out of the corner of her eye, Galinda saw her roommate tense. What was that about? She shook herself slightly and focused back on the teacher. "But I assure you, my being an Animal in no way affects my teaching abilities. I am sure that the initial shock will soon wear off—it always does—and we will be able to conduct class normally as the year goes on. As your classmate here said, I am a living being, just like the rest of you. Really, the only thing I lack is opposable thumbs." The Goat chuckled, his beard and whiskers twitching. "And seeing that I lack the means to write on the chalkboard, all of your notes will be given to you orally. Shall we begin?"
Even the sound of notebooks and pens being taken out was hushed. Galinda was still trying to mask the horror on her face. Looking around, she saw that she wasn't the only one trying to wrap their mind around an Animal professor. Indeed, it seemed like the entire class was struggling to accept it. And who could blame them? Everybody knew that Animals were an ugly stain on the otherwise perfect Ozian society. Even Galinda, who cared little for the debates her parents attended, knew about the stripping of Animal rights. The foul creatures had occupied their cities and schools and jobs for too long, even though it was obvious that humans were more capable, more sophisticated, more…well, just more.
But one student didn't seem to be upset. She wasn't horrified or appalled. She wasn't even shocked. In fact, Elphaba Thropp looked downright eager to be in a class taught by an old Goat. She was leaning forward slightly, her pen poised over a page that was already half full of notes.
And why shouldn't she be eager? She was finally, finally sitting in Dr. Dillamond's history class, about to learn from her biggest hero. The Goat was infamous for his numerous findings in genetics and evolution, his endless knowledge of Ozian history, and—most importantly—his iron-hard stance and reasoning in the Animal rights debates. And to top it all off, he hadn't cringed when he looked at her! In fact, she could have sworn she saw the hint of a smile beneath his beard. Elphaba had already known he was an Animal, but it made no difference to her. No, scratch that. It did make a difference. It made the class even better. She had a feeling that an Animal would not twist history around the way humans tended to do. The green girl knew immediately that this would be her favorite class.
"Now," Dr. Dillamond said, walking over to his desk and flipping open one of the books. "Let's start with the basics. History is one of the most important subjects you will ever learn. Can anyone tell me why?"
Elphaba's hand didn't shoot up into the air. Despite popular belief, she wasn't an over-eager smartass out to prove her intelligence. But she did know the answer, so after waiting a moment to see if anyone else would speak up, she raised her hand.
"Ah, yes. Miss…?" Dr. Dillamond tilted his head toward her.
"Miss Elphaba, sir. History is crucial because…"
Galinda looked down at her paper, watching her pen scrawl idly across the sheet. She didn't pay attention to a word her roommate said, and she didn't plan on it. But a light elbow to her ribs made her look up again. "See what we meant?" Pfannee whispered.
"Very good, Miss Elphaba," the Goat said, his eyes twinkling. "Now, this semester will take us from the appearance of the first Ozians in Quadling Country, through the settling of the five countries, and up to the establishment of the Ozma Regime. Now, who can tell me what Oz was believed to be like before the first humans appeared?"
Once again, a green hand rose to meet his question. Elphaba tried not to grin when she heard a small hmph from her roommate's table. Oh yes. This was going to be a fun class indeed.
"Miss Elphaba, may I have a word with you?"
Students had packed up their bags and darted for the door the second the bell had echoed across campus. By the time the last toll sounded, the room was empty. Elphaba looked up at Dr. Dillamond. "Of course, sir." She slid her books easily into her bag and approached the Goat's desk.
"Please, sit," he said, gesturing at a stool near the end of the table. She sat down, looking intently at her teacher. "So you are the infamous Miss Thropp."
Elphaba stiffened a bit at the name. "With all due respect, sir, I prefer to go by my first name."
"Your last name offends you?"
"It's not so much offensive as…stifling."
Something in the way the Goat's eyes twinkled told her that he had been anticipating that sort of response. "Hm. I have learned that many who are given titles at such a young age reject them."
"I always thought it better to grow up rejecting the title rather than abusing it."
"Ah, so there is more to your intelligence than textbooks."
Elphaba could feel the blood tingeing her cheeks, darkening her green skin. Dr. Dillamond chuckled.
"But tell me, Miss Elphaba, why have I been hearing all these terrible things about you? The rumor mill here at Shiz has not been kind to you so far this year—and dear me, it's only your third day!—yet you seem like a nice enough young lady."
Elphaba looked down at that, her fingers curling around the strap of her bag. "Yes, well. I'm afraid you have only seen the scholar part of me, and I daresay that's my only good side."
Dr. Dillamond looked at her for a long moment. "If you say so, Miss Elphaba. Just don't let what your peers say get to you. The world tends to put too much weight in first appearances."
The green girl jumped to her feet, shifting the strap on her shoulder. "I-I should go, sir. Thank you. I…I should head to class." She hurried away, carefully reinforcing her mental walls, but that didn't stop her from hesitating in the doorway. "By the way, sir, I…I'm a huge fan of your work." Without looking at Dr. Dillamond, she sped out of the room. The door fell shut behind her, the sound echoing through the nearly empty building.